PARIS — France will deploy military forces alongside police for nationwide security operations this Saturday following violent weekend riots across Paris, Marseille, and Lyon that left extensive municipal and commercial damage.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged government failures in handling the October 17 unrest, which Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez attributed to intelligence lapses and inadequate police deployment. Authorities have maintained localized curfews and arrested a suspected ultra-left activist for setting fire to a historic town hall in Limoges.
New demonstrations are expected this Saturday as student groups protest education funding cuts and Yellow Vest activists mobilize against rising fuel prices. The ongoing instability has heightened political tensions ahead of next year's presidential election, while supermarket chain Carrefour reported tens of millions of euros in damage and French government borrowing costs surged to 24-year highs.
Similar economic anger is spreading across Europe. Italy experienced riots in several northern cities, leading officials to warn of social media-driven unrest, while anti-government demonstrations continue in Tirana, Albania.
